Warm-Up Quiz Review Answer Sheet
Directions: Use the correct PRESENT TENSE form of the infinitive given
1.
to have: The whole red ant colony, including the queen and all of her drones, _has_________ swarmed over Tommy's feet,
stinging his ankles.
Ignore the interrupting phrase that begins with including .... The subject of the sentence is colony, a singular noun that requires a
singular verb
2.
to require: Her statistics class __requires________ so much homework that Michelle's poor fingers have permanent
indentations from the calculator pads.
3.
Statistics, a single area of study, requires a singular verb
3. to hope: Everyone on the roller coaster, including Martha and Angie, ___hopes_______ that the hot dogs, onion rings, funnel cake, and
cotton candy will stay down during the twisting ride to come.
Everyone, a singular indefinite pronoun, requires a singular verb. Martha and Angie follow the preposition including, so they
are not the subject of the sentence.
4. to bother: Neither Fred's ratty clothes nor his sullen attitude __bothers________ Esmeralda, who lets Fred pick up the check every
time they dine out.
When you have neither ... nor, the subject closer to the verb—in this case attitude—counts. Because attitude is singular, use
bothers, the singular form of the verb
5. to hug: That pair of jeans _____hugs_____ the curves of Hannah’s body as nicely as tinfoil on a baked potato.
That pair, which is singular, requires a singular verb
6. to annoy: Neither the coughing muffler nor the squeaky brakes ____annoy______ Ruth as much as the broken radio in her old car.
When you have neither ... nor, use the subject closer to the verb, in this case brakes. Because the noun brakes is plural, use
annoy, a plural verb
7. to get: Florida alligators usually ____get______ severe indigestion after eating poodles.
The noun alligators, a plural subject, requires get, a plural verb
8. to cling: Every cat hair, candy wrapper, and loose thread ___clings_______ to the super-charged polyester pants that Theodora loves to
wear.
Every requires a singular verb
9. to know: Any one of Ms. Orsini's students ___knows_______ the rules that govern subject-verb agreement.
Any one, the singular subject, requires a singular verb
10. to have: Neither of those students __________ a clue about the rules governing subject-verb agreement. Pity them both during the
quiz.
Neither, a singular indefinite pronoun, requires a singular verb
Directions: Re-Write the sentence to make it parallel, or label it as correct and EXPLAIN WHY.
1.
Pancakes dripping with syrup, coffee steaming in big mugs, and bacon frying on the stove make breakfast at Grandma’s house a
real treat.
No error
Explanation: All verbs in –ing
2.
Le’Ron scowled at Professor Nguyen, was muttering under his breath, and sighed heavily, but in truth he loved taking algebra
exams.
Correction: muttered under his breath.
Explanation: all the other verbs end in –ed, thus, muttering needs to be changed to muttered
3.
Skipping the directions, hurrying to finish first, and neglecting to recheck her work have caused Claudia to fail every calculus
exam this semester.
No error
Explanation: all verbs in –ing
4.
At the family reunion, we ate Grandma’s barbecued ribs, Aunt Sally’s potato salad, and heaping plates of jiggling banana Jell-O
prepared by Cousin Sue.
Correction: and Cousin Sue’s banana Jell-O
Explanation: All of the other phrases begin with the family member’s name, followed by what they made.
5.
Claude glanced at his watch, took a last sip of coffee, and began his trek to Dr. Grayson’s three-hour snooze fest on the French
Revolution.
No error
Explanation: All phrases on the list short clauses written in the past tense
6.
Vacuuming under the furniture, dusting the ceiling fans, and scrubbing the tile grout with a toothbrush, Jerry prepared the house
for his ultra-picky mother-in-law.
No error
Explanation: All verbs end in –ing
7.
The sky grew pink, seagulls began to cry, and waves rolled onshore as Diane took her morning stroll on the beach.
No error
Explanation: All verbs are written in the past tense.
8.
During the exam, Mary sucked the ends of her hair, chewed the top of her pencil, and all the while she was picking at a scab on
her elbow, but she could not remember the third cause of the French Revolution.
Correction: and picked the scab on her elbow
Explanation: The previous verbs end in –ed, not –ing , and they only contain one prepositional phrase (“AT the scab” and “ON
her elbow” are both prepositional phrases)
9.
Frances searched the car trunk, on the pantry shelves, and the top of the refrigerator, but she could not find the cereal she
remembered buying.
Correction: IN the car trunk
Explanation: “ON the pantry shelves” and “OF the refrigerator” are both prepositional phrases, thus “the car trunk” needs a
preposition, too.
10. Eli held the phone on his lap, trying to work up the courage to call the beautiful Lauren. All the while, his foot jiggled, his nostril
flared, and his stomach was turning.
Correction: his stomach TURNED.
Explanation: the previous verbs used in the sentence end in –ed, thus “turning” should be corrected to “turned.”